ログインTraci’s POV The second Raiden finished saying, “Alright. Enough sad shit,” another pain tore through my stomach. I grabbed the edge of the bed so hard my fingers cramped around the mattress, and the breath I had been about to take caught somewhere between my lungs and my throat. My other hand went immediately to my stomach as the pain tightened, deeper and stronger than anything I had felt since this whole thing started. “Okay,” I gasped, squeezing my eyes shut as I tried to ride through it. “That one was different.” The room changed instantly. Raiden’s smile disappeared, replaced by the same worried expression I had seen on his face earlier, but there was something different about him now. The panic was still there because I was hurting, but the darkness that had been sitting behind his eyes for weeks was gone. His curse marks were still faintly silver, and for once I could look at him without seeing that constant battle raging inside him. Zayden moved before either of us could
Maddox’s POV Boomer’s words hung in the air long after he’d spoken them. “We’ve lost five men.” Only a few moments ago the dining room had been filled with Serena’s laughter. Now it was so quiet I could hear the crackling fire burning in the massive stone fireplace several yards away. The warmth that had settled over the room vanished almost instantly, replaced by something colder. Much colder. I slowly pushed my chair back from the table, the legs scraping softly across the floor as I stood. Every instinct I’d spent years sharpening immediately took over. “Where?” Boomer didn’t hesitate. “The eastern patrols, my King.” My jaw tightened. “All five?” “Yes.” He nodded his head. “Wounds?” I raised my brow. He swallowed hard once before answering. “Clean kills.” That told me everything I needed to know. This hadn’t been some random attack. It had been planned. Calculated. Someone had watched my patrols. Someone knew exactly where to strike. Someone wanted me to know they coul
Maddox’s POV Hearing my wolf utter that single word had caught me completely off guard. Mate. Of all the things I thought I’d hear from him throughout my lifetime… That had never once crossed my mind. I’d never had a mate before. Hell, years ago I’d already accepted that I probably never would. I’d convinced myself a chosen mate would be good enough, and if I was being honest, I’d already had someone in mind. First… Darci. That idea disappeared the moment she’d found her true mate. Then my attention shifted elsewhere. Traci. A White Wolf. Even now, I couldn’t deny she’d been a prize unlike any other. I would’ve gladly claimed her if fate had given me the chance, but life had a cruel sense of humor. By the time I learned the truth about her bond with the Twin Kings, the decision had already been taken from me. Killing them wouldn’t have left Traci alive for me to claim. Their life bond guaranteed she’d die right alongside them, and suddenly every plan I’d spent months building becam
Ralph’s POV I already knew better than to underestimate Maddox. That bastard had survived far too many battles to fall for something simple, and there wasn’t a chance in hell he was going to let me or any of my men casually stroll onto his territory without paying for it in blood. If I wanted him, I’d have to be smarter than that. I’d have to be patient. Patience had never exactly been one of my better qualities. Still… For the past week, I’d forced myself to sit back and wait. Instead of sending men charging onto his land like a pack of idiots, I’d broken my soldiers into several smaller scouting teams and stationed them well outside his borders. They never crossed onto his territory. They didn’t need to. Every one of them knew exactly where to hide, how to stay downwind, and most importantly, how to keep their mouths shut. Maddox couldn’t kill what he couldn’t find. Every movement his men made had been documented. Every patrol. Every guard rotation. Every shift change. Hell… My
Traci’s POV I slowly shook my head, my fingers still wrapped around Raiden’s hand as I looked from Kael back to my mate. “You’re wrong,” I said quietly. Every pair of eyes turned toward me, waiting. I looked up at Raiden, offering him a small smile before my eyes drifted toward the faint silver glow that still lingered beneath the dark curse marks winding around his neck. “The first time they glowed silver…” I said thoughtfully, “…you were only standing beside me.” I slowly shook my head again. “You weren’t even touching me.” The smile on Kael’s face disappeared almost immediately. Only moments ago he’d looked completely certain he’d figured everything out. Now confusion settled across his face so quickly it almost made me feel sorry for him. His brows knitted together as he glanced from Raiden to me before looking back down at my stomach. “So…” He scratched the back of his neck. “… there goes my brilliant theory.” A soft chuckle escaped Helen. “It lasted longer than most of yours
Raiden’s POV I could feel it. Something… Something was different. The tightness that had wrapped itself around my shoulders for what felt like forever slowly began to melt away. I hadn’t even realized how tense I’d been until the pressure started disappearing. It was as though someone had reached down, grabbed the massive weight I’d been carrying, and simply lifted it off of me. I drew in a slow breath. It didn’t hurt. Not like it usually did. My chest expanded fully, and for the first time in over a week, I didn’t feel like I was fighting just to breathe. I closed my eyes for only a second, trying to make sense of what was happening. I felt… “Free,” Nyx finished quietly. The single word settled over me. Free. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth before I could stop it. Nyx was right. I did feel free. Not completely. The curse was still there. I could feel it lurking somewhere in the back of my mind like a predator hiding in the shadows, waiting for another opportunity to s
Traci’s POV“Corbin, we have a problem.” The second the words left my mouth through the mindlink, panic nearly swallowed me whole again.“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Corbin’s voice came through instantly, calm and steady like always. “Are you okay?”No. Absolutely not.I pressed both hands against t
Raiden’s POVRogue attacks across the kingdom had gotten worse every year.What once started as small raids along distant borders had evolved into organized assaults with strategy behind them. More warriors. Better timing. Stronger fighters. Somebody was building an army in the shadows, and whoever
Zayden’s POV“Sienna,” I muttered against her neck as she settled herself onto my lap with a satisfied little smirk.Soft music drifted through my chambers while firelight flickered across the walls, casting golden shadows over the room. The scent of vanilla and wine clung heavily to the air. Hones
Traci’s POV“Traci, you need to rest. You’re pushing too hard.” Corbin’s voice cut through the sharp morning air while I drove my fist into the padded target again. Sweat slid down my spine despite the cool breeze rolling through the clearing behind the old patrol cabins.“I’m fine,” I muttered, th







